Electronically stimulating an atomically random system, represented above by a key, produces a unique pattern that can be used for authentication or identification purposes whilst being fundamentally unclonable.
Scientists have discovered a way to authenticate or identify any object by generating an unbreakable ID based on atoms.
The technology, which is being patented at Lancaster University and commercialised through the spin-out company Quantum Base, uses next-generation nanomaterials to enable the unique identification of any product with guaranteed security.
The research published today in Nature’s Scientific Reports uses atomic-scale imperfections that are impossible to clone as they comprise the unmanipulable building blocks of matter.
First author Jonathan Roberts, a Lancaster University Physics PhD student of the EPSRC NOWNANO Doctoral Training Centre, said: “The invention involves the creation of devices with unique identities on a nano-scale employing state-of-art quantum technology. Each device we’ve made is unique, 100% secure and impossible to copy or clone.”
Current authentication solutions such as anti-counterfeit tags or password-protection base their security on replication difficulty, or on secrecy, and are renowned for being insecure and relatively easy to forge. For example, current anti-counterfeiting technology such as holograms can be imitated, and passwords can be stolen, hacked and intercepted.
The ground-breaking atomic-scale devices do not require passwords, and are impervious to cloning, making them the most secure system ever made. Coupled with the fact that they can be incorporated into any material makes them an ideal candidate to replace existing authentication technologies.
Writing in Nature’s Scientific Reports, the researchers said: “Simulating these structures requires vast computing power and is not achievable in a reasonable timescale, even with a quantum computer. When coupled with the fact that the underlying structure is unknown, unless dismantled atom-by-atom, this makes simulation extremely difficult.
“While inhomogeneity in the fabrication of nanostructures often leads to unpredictable behaviour of the final device, which is normally undesirable, we have proposed and demonstrated a potential use for the quantum behaviour of atomically irreproducible systems.”
The reported Q-ID device, which uses an electronic measurement with CMOS compatible technology, can easily be integrated into existing chip manufacturing processes, enabling cost effective mass-production. The new devices also have many additional features such as the ability to track-and-trace a product throughout the supply chain, and individual addressability, allowing for marketing and quality control at the point of consumption.
Dr Robert Young, the research leader at Lancaster University and co-founder of Quantum Base said: “One could imagine our devices being used to identify a broad range of products, whether it is authentication of branded goods, SIM cards, important manufacturing components, the possibilities are endless.”
The use of inexpensive nanomaterials and their ability to be produced in large quantities has resulted in smaller, more power efficient devices that are future-proof to cloning.
Read more: Invention of forge-proof ID to revolutionise security
The Latest on: Forge-proof ID
via Google News
The Latest on: Forge-proof ID
- Free Legendary Burger for Frontline Healthcare Workerson August 4, 2022 at 12:00 pm
To qualify for the free Legendary Burger (excluding the Double Decker Cheeseburger) a valid health or emergency service identification or proof of employment ... Pigeon Forge, Myrtle Beach and ...
- CAF raises a total of BRL 80 million to forge the future of identityon July 27, 2022 at 6:28 pm
CAF’s unique approach to identity verification and digital onboarding ... in Brazil to have a security certificate for its own proof-of-life technology, the ISO 30107-3, granted by iBeta Quality ...
- CAF raises BRL80m to forge the future of identityon July 27, 2022 at 3:02 am
IBS Intelligence (IBSi) is the world’s only pure-play Financial Technology focused research, advisory, and fintech news analysis firm, with a 30-year track record and clients globally. We take pride ...
- CAF raises a total of BRL 80 million to forge the future of identityon July 26, 2022 at 4:00 am
CAF (formerly Combate à Fraude), a leader in digital identity verification, announced that it has raised over BRL80 million in investments with participations from a group of experienced global ...
- Our fetish for valid IDson July 21, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Likewise, passports used to be taken for their face value, unlinked to any electronic database, which was why it was easier in the past to forge them. For the same reason, a driver’s license ID—which ...
- ForgeRock 2022 Consumer Identity Breach Report Uncovers 297% Increase in U.S. Breaches Tied to Supply Chain and Third-Party Supplierson July 19, 2022 at 4:54 am
ForgeRock Report Reveals Fourth Consecutive Year of Unauthorized Access As the Leading Cause of Breaches, and Continued Increase In the Cost of Fraud – SAN FRANCISCO, July 19, 2022--(BUSINESS ...
- We Need Honest Debate, Not Unprincipled Attacks: A Further Response to the Attacks On Rise Up 4 Abortion Rightson July 18, 2022 at 10:51 pm
This allows them to plant an outlandish idea in readers’ minds, without the burden of having to show that there is any proof to the idea ... and which serves to forge unity in the fight against ...
- The three banks that will still take your old £1 coins, £5 and £10 noteson July 15, 2022 at 4:52 am
Two forms of identification are needed, a photo ID and proof of address. You can find out more about this service on the Bank of England website. If you can't get to London, you can exchange old ...
- Having a Tory in No 10 who looks like me isn’t anything to celebrateon July 11, 2022 at 7:07 am
They work hard enough to forge a new life here and they have children ... It’s all very touching, isn’t it? Concrete proof that Britain is such a shining meritocracy that it transcends ...
- Therapists for Teens in Pigeon Forge, TNon July 8, 2022 at 6:01 pm
Let me help you discover that there is proof in hope. My ideal client is ... The transitional period can raise questions of independence and identity; as adolescents cultivate their sense of ...
via Bing News